Digging roots is easier with AI.

The scale of root quantification in research is often limited by the time required for sampling, measurement, and processing samples. Recent developments in convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have made faster and more accurate plant image analysis possible, which may significantly reduce the time required for root measurement, but challenges remain in making these methods accessible to researchers without an in-depth knowledge of machine learning. We analyzed root images acquired from three destructive root samplings using the RootPainter CNN software that features an interface for corrective annotation for easier use.

Toward a Better Understanding of Genotype × Environment × Management Interactions-A Global Wheat Initiative Agronomic Research Strategy.

The Wheat Initiative (WI) and the WI Expert Working Group (EWG) for Agronomy (www.wheatinitiative.org) were formed with a collective goal to "coordinate global wheat research efforts to increase wheat production, quality, and sustainability to advance food security and safety under changing climate conditions.

Interactions of Spring Cereal Genotypic Attributes and Recovery of Grain Yield After Defoliation.

Dual-purpose crops are grazed during their vegetative phase and allowed to regrow to produce grain. Grazing slow-developing winter cereals (wheat, barley, and triticale) is common, but there is also potential to graze faster-developing spring cereals used in regions with shorter-growing seasons. Defoliation in faster-developing genotypes has risks of larger yield penalties, however, little is known about genotypic characteristics that may improve recovery after grazing.

Deep Soil Water-Use Determines the Yield Benefit of Long-Cycle Wheat.

Wheat production in southern Australia is reliant on autumn (April-May) rainfall to germinate seeds and allow timely establishment. Reliance on autumn rainfall can be removed by sowing earlier than currently practiced and using late summer and early autumn rainfall to establish crops, but this requires slower developing cultivars to match life-cycle to seasonal conditions. While slow-developing wheat cultivars sown early in the sowing window (long-cycle), have in some cases increased yield in comparison to the more commonly grown fast-developing cultivars sown later (short-cycle), the yield response is variable between environments.

Digging Deeper for Agricultural Resources, the Value of Deep Rooting.

In the quest for sustainable intensification of crop production, we discuss the option of extending the root depth of crops to increase the volume of soil exploited by their root systems. We discuss the evidence that deeper rooting can be obtained by appropriate choice of crop species, by plant breeding, or crop management and its potential contributions to production and sustainable development goals. Many studies highlight the potentials of deeper rooting, but we evaluate its contributions to sustainable intensification of crop production, the causes of the limited research into deep rooting of crops, and the research priorities to fill the knowledge gaps.

Root system-based limits to agricultural productivity and efficiency: the farming systems context.

Background There has been renewed global interest in both genetic and management strategies to improve root system function in order to improve agricultural productivity and minimize environmental damage. Improving root system capture of water and nutrients is an obvious strategy, yet few studies consider the important interactions between the genetic improvements proposed, and crop management at a system scale that will influence likely success. Scope To exemplify these interactions, the contrasting cereal-based farming systems of Denmark and Australia were used, where the improved uptake of water and nitrogen from deeper soil layers has been proposed to improve productivity and environmental outcomes in both systems.

Inorganic Nutrients Increase Humification Efficiency and C-Sequestration in an Annually Cropped Soil.

Removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and storing the carbon (C) in resistant soil organic matter (SOM) is a global priority to restore soil fertility and help mitigate climate change. Although it is widely assumed that retaining rather than removing or burning crop residues will increase SOM levels, many studies have failed to demonstrate this. We hypothesised that the microbial nature of resistant SOM provides a predictable nutrient stoichiometry (C:nitrogen, C:phosphorus and C:sulphur-C:N:P:S) to target using supplementary nutrients when incorporating C-rich crop residues into soil.

Farming system context drives the value of deep wheat roots in semi-arid environments.

The capture of subsoil water by wheat roots can make a valuable contribution to grain yield on deep soils. More extensive root systems can capture more water, but leave the soil in a drier state, potentially limiting water availability to subsequent crops. To evaluate the importance of these legacy effects, a long-term simulation analysis at eight sites in the semi-arid environment of Australia compared the yield of standard wheat cultivars with cultivars that were (i) modified to have root systems which extract more water at depth and/or (ii) sown earlier to increase the duration of the vegetative period and hence rooting depth.

Root-Root Interactions: Towards A Rhizosphere Framework.

Plant scientists have made great progress in understanding molecular mechanisms controlling root responses to nutrients of arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants under controlled conditions. Simultaneously, ecologists and agronomists have demonstrated that root-root interactions involve more than competition for nutrients. Here, we highlight the importance of both root exudates and soil microbes for root-root interactions, ubiquitous in natural and agricultural ecosystems.

Beyond conservation agriculture.

Global support for Conservation Agriculture (CA) as a pathway to Sustainable Intensification is strong. CA revolves around three principles: no-till (or minimal soil disturbance), soil cover, and crop rotation. The benefits arising from the ease of crop management, energy/cost/time savings, and soil and water conservation led to widespread adoption of CA, particularly on large farms in the Americas and Australia, where farmers harness the tools of modern science: highly-sophisticated machines, potent agrochemicals, and biotechnology.

Evolution of bacterial communities in the wheat crop rhizosphere.

The gap between current average global wheat yields and that achievable through best agronomic management and crop genetics is large. This is notable in intensive wheat rotations which are widely used. Expectations are that this gap can be reduced by manipulating soil processes, especially those that involve microbial ecology.

Using dual-purpose crops in sheep-grazing systems.

The utilisation of dual-purpose crops, especially wheat and canola grown for forage and grain production in sheep-grazing systems, is reviewed. When sown early and grazed in winter before stem elongation, later-maturing wheat and canola crops can be grazed with little impact on grain yield. Recent research has sought to develop crop- and grazing-management strategies for dual-purpose crops.

The distribution and abundance of wheat roots in a dense, structured subsoil--implications for water uptake.

We analysed the abundance, spatial distribution and soil contact of wheat roots in dense, structured subsoil to determine whether incomplete extraction of subsoil water was due to root system limitations. Intact soil cores were collected to 1.6 m below wheat crops at maturity on a red Kandosol in southern Australia.

Distribution of glucosinolates and sulphur-rich cells in roots of field-grown canola (Brassica napus).

To investigate the role played by the distribution pattern of glucosinolates (GSLs) in root systems in the release of biocides to the rhizosphere, GSLs have been localized, for the first time, to specific regions and cells in field-grown roots. GSL concentrations in separated tissues of canola (Brassica napus) were determined by chemical analysis, and cell-specific concentrations by extrapolation from sulphur concentrations obtained by quantitative cryo-analytical scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In roots with secondary growth, GSL concentrations in the outer secondary tissues were up to 5x those of the inner core.

Pathways of infection of Brassica napus roots by Leptosphaeria maculans.

Infection of Brassica napus cotyledons and leaves by germinating ascospores of Leptosphaeria maculans leads to production of leaf lesions followed by stem cankers (blackleg). Leptosphaeria maculans also causes root rot but the pathway of infection has not been described. An L.

Extraction and determination of glucosinolates from soil.

The use of glucosinolate-containing plants as soil-incorporated biofumigants for pest and disease control has raised questions regarding the fate of glucosinolates in soil; however, no method for routine analysis of glucosinolates in soil has been reported. A simple method to extract glucosinolates from soil with quantification as desulfoglucosinolates by HPLC is presented. The method involves two extractions with 70% methanol at room temperature, centrifugation, and filtration prior to the desulfation step.

A wheat genotype developed for rapid leaf growth copes well with the physical and biological constraints of unploughed soil.

Conventional wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars grow slowly in unploughed soil because of physical and biological constraints. Here a conventional cultivar (Janz) is compared with a novel experimental line (Vigour 18), bred for high leaf vigour, to explore the hypothesis that a vigorous wheat grows better in unploughed soil.

Soil strength and rate of root elongation alter the accumulation of Pseudomonas spp. and other bacteria in the rhizosphere of wheat.

Results from a controlled environment system and the field showed that slow root elongation rate was associated with accumulation of Pseudomonas spp. in the rhizosphere; fast root elongation avoided accumulation. In the controlled environment system, total bacteria and bacteria belonging to the genus Pseudomonas were quantified along wheat (Triticum aestivum L.